Garden honours the ones left behind

Garden of the grieving mother

The City of Ballarat has been gifted with a new memorial to honour the families of Australian soldiers.

The Garden of the Grieving Mother is an initiative of the Arch of Victory / Avenue of Honour Committee which is autonomous and incorporated, but also an Advisory Committee of the Council of the City of Ballarat.

The Garden of the Grieving Mother is designed to be a space for contemplation and reflection, honouring and acknowledging the grief and anxiety experienced by those ‘at home’; the mothers, fathers, families and friends left behind, waiting for news of loved ones serving in foreign lands in times of war.

The Garden’s inspiration came from WW1 but it is intended as a tribute to the mothers and families of all Australian service men and women, in all wars.

The bronze, life size statue at the heart of the Garden of the Grieving Mother is the work of prominent Australian sculptor, Peter Corlett OAM who is known for his other commemorative works including ‘Cobbers’ at Fromelles in France and (a duplicate) at the Shrine of Remembrance; ‘Weary Dunlop’ near the Shrine of Remembrance and ‘Simpson and his Donkey’ at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.